Dawn: A Game of Hearts
by Ambezua
Summary: Dawn realizes that she might have feelings for Ash... But she isn't sure... So she decides to test their chemistry... And ends up falling for him. Will Dawn win this game of hearts?
1. One of Hearts

Ambezua: Another mystery-ending pokemon love story. All of the chapters are from Dawn's POV, to make things more interesting... Of course, each of the chapters are named after a playing card, representing the growing love Dawn is feeling inside herself. Like my last FanFic, I have selected some songs I found particularly suitable. Listen to them, if you like, but please... Give reviews! I need to know if I am doing things right! Anyway... Enough of me, let's get to the story.

Dawn: A Game of Hearts

By Ambezua

Theme song: "I'm not a Girl not yet a Woman"

Chapter one: One of Hearts...

Song: "Could it be"

Hello! My name is Dawn... I might appear glamorous, brave, strong, and perhaps many other things, but I most certainly don't feel like any of those things right now... Even if you don't know me, at least you will be able to sympathize with me... You see, I have this pretty big problem, which I will explain to you...

It all started a few weeks ago...

I was traveling with a young man whose name is Ash Ketchum. Yes, THE Ash Ketchum. I know, how lucky can a girl get? Anyway...

It was early in the morning, and as I pulled on my socks and hat, I knew that something special was going to happen that day. I just didn't have a clue, until it was too late...

I had just finished fixing my hair, and pulled on my boots, when I heard Ash's voice outside my tent.

'that's odd...' I thought to myself, 'Ash usually sleeps in.'

"Hey, good morning, Dawn." Ash smiled at me, as I walked out of my tent.

"Good morning, Ash," I smiled back.

"Let's pack up, I have a feeling that this is going to be a big day. Might as well get a head start." Ash started packing his things.

"Ok, Ash... what sort of things do you have planned for today?" I asked, as I started packing my things as well.

"Nothing really... I just thought it would be nice just to spend some time together. The next pokemon tournament is a long way off, so, who says I can't just take it easy for a bit?"

Somthing about how he said those words sparked a flame in me that would never die...

"Oh? That would be nice, Ash."

"I'm glad you agree." Ash replied.

We packed up the rest of our things, and continued on our way.

"Bet you can't catch me, Dawn!" Ash ran out in front of me.

"Don't be so sure!" I ran after him, giggling.

Pikachu, Ash's closest friend and confidant, followed behind us. Sure, she looked like a small, electric mouse, but she meant a lot more than just that to Ash. She had been with Ash from the very start... I sometimes wondered if calling them best friends could even do justice to their relationship. They were practically inseparable.

I ran past Ash, taking his precous hat as my captive.

"Ha, ha! I got your hat!" I ran off waving my prize in the air.

"Hey! That's not funny, Dawn, give it back." Ash didn't seem very amused at my playfulness. Couldn't he see that I was just kidding around with him.

Eventually, I began to tire, and I tripped on a small rock.

Ash quickly caught up with me.

"Ok, you win Ash... Here." I handed his hat back to him, fully expecting a thirty-minute lecture about how much that old hat meant to him.

Instead, all he said was, "thanks, Dawn."

He put his hat back onto his head, then helped me back onto my feet.

Then... It hit me. Ash didn't treat me like any girl... He treated me... differently. I couldn't really place my finger on it, but I was certain that there was somthing different. At first, I simply brushed it off as his way of showing friendship. After all, that's all we were: friends.

I followed after Ash, thankful to have such a great friend.

"Hey, Pikachu, what's up? Is there something wrong?" Ash turned to his furry little friend.

"Pika! Pikachu!" she pointed in the direction of a large bush.

"Golem!" the large, earth-type pokemon roared.

"What's a Golem doing here?" Ash asked, a bit confused.

"Who cares, let's get out of here!" I grabbed Ash's arm and pulled.

The Golem rushed towards us. I held Ash's arm tightly, fully expecting the next few seconds to by my last.

"Pika...chuuuuu!" Pikachu jumped into the air, and unleashed a thunderbolt at the Golem

"Golem?" It stopped for a second, but appeared unharmed by Pikahcu's attack.

"Of course... Golem are immune to electric attacks... Uh oh..." Ash cringed in fear.

"Ash, we need to get out of here!" I finally managed to get Ash moving.

We ran through the field, Pikachu and the Golem not far behind.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu called.

I looked up, and saw a rather large pile of rocks falling from the sky, most likely thrown by the Golem. I didn't really care where they came from, they were not going to crush Ash, at least, not while I was around.

I pushed Ash over, and shielded him from the attack with my own body. The sharp, cutting pain surged through me, as I cried out in pain.

The golem jumped over us, intending to crush us both under its enormous weight.

"Chuuu-Pika!" Pikachu jumped into the air, and slammed the Golem with an Iron Tail attack.

It flew backwards, and rolled away.

"Ash, are you ok?" I asked, ignoring my own injuries.

"Ya, I'm fine... Dawn! what happened to you?" Ash looked over at me with wide eyes.

I looked down at myself. I had quite a few scratches, nothing too deep, but I was VERY dirty.

"It's nothing, Ash, I'm fine." I smiled.

"If you say so..." Ash picked himself up off the ground, and began walking once again, "and thanks, Dawn."

"No problem," I replied, and followed him

"Pika?" Pikachu seemed to feel a bit left out. She glared at me, then ran after Ash, and jumped up onto his hat, as she often did.

"Yeah, Pikachu, you really saved us. Great job, little buddy," Ash thanked his pokemon.

Ash did seem sweet to me... Perhaps he does have feelings for me... Wait... Do I have feelings for Ash? I searched deep inside me, but I couldn't come up with any definitive results. It was pretty typical... I didn't even know about my own feelings, let alone Ash's. I became frustrated with myself... Then I got an idea.

Why not simply test the waters, right? If I can sense some chemistry between us, it will be easy to win Ash's heart. if there isn't any, then I decided to just continue along, as if nothing had happened. I didn't worry about what Ash would think about my plan, in case he caught on. After all, Ash was so dense, he most likely wouldn't be able to notice any change.

"So... Ash..." I walked up close to Ash, to see if he felt uncomfortable.

"Yeah, Dawn?" Ash didn't look over at me, or even acknowledge my presence next to him.

I wasn't sure whether that was a good sign, or a bad one.

"Well, I was wondering... Did you have any particular reason for wanting to spend the day with me?" I didn't think I could load that question any more...

"No."

With one word, he shattered any possible significance in his desire to spend time with me... He apparently only thought of me as a friend. Still... I was willing to continue the experiment a bit further.

"So... You just woke up this morning and decided to throw off any other arrangements you had planned and spend today with me?"

"Dawn, you should know very well that I don't work that way..." I felt my heart skip a beat

"I didn't make any arrangements that you don't know about." Ash finished.

I sweatdropped... Perhaps this had not been such a good idea...

"But, you know I enjoy spending time with you, right?" Ash smiled, finally turning his head to look at me.

"Yes, of course," I reply

Then again... Why not continue? Let the game of hearts begin!

Ambezua: So.. How do you think it is turning out so far? Did I do a good job at portraying Ash and Dawn? Tell me what you think! In an effort to get more feedback, I will hold onto the second chapter until I have at least 5 reviews. Until then... Feel free to look at (and review) my other FanFics!


	2. Two of Hearts

Chapter two: Two of Hearts...

Ambezua: Hello! Yes, I got the required 5 reviews, so I have returned... For those of your wondering why on earth Pikachu is a girl in this FanFic, it's because it's from Dawn's POV, and Dawn thinks Pikachu is a girl... I personally think Pikachu is a boy, but I thought it would add a nice twist to the story if Dawn disagreed. Ok, enough of that... On with the story!

Song: "Two of Hearts"

Ash, Pikachu, and I were taking a short break on the side of the road. Ash played with Pikachu, while I laid my back against a tree. I opened my backpack, and pulled out my most prized possession: my dairy.

In large, golden letters, I had written a short, but strongly worded, warning on the front of my dairy.

UPON PAIN OF DEATH, NO ONE BUT DAWN MAY READ THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK

I briefly read over the label, wondering if it were sufficient, then flipped through the pages until I found an empty page. I pulled out my pen, and began to write.

"Dear Diary,

I had quite an adventure with Ash... We nearly got flattened by a Golem. Thankfully, Pikachu saved us.

But, that's not what I wanted to write about... I think I might be developing feelings for someone who might not feel the same way about me... I don't really know what to do. Yesterday, I felt confident with my decision to try and win his heart, but now I am not so sure... I am feeling a lot of anxiety. It's unhealthy to go on like this, but I can't help it. I wish I could read Ash's mind. It would make things a lot easier.

I think the reason why I stood in the way of that Golem's attack is because I secretly do love him.

This is soo confusing... Perhaps I should talk to Pikachu. No, that's not a good idea. I can't understand her when she talks, and she would most certainly tell Ash all about our conversation.

I know! I will try to get to know him better. Show some interest. It might be a bit fun...

Oh, great. Pikachu is bugging me again."

I slammed my diary shut, and looked over at the little rascal. She had been poking me in the side, trying to get my attention. She ran away from me, giggling evilly

"Cut it out, Pikachu..." I opened my diary again, intending to pick up where I left off.

Pikachu began dancing around, taunting me, and making provocative faces.

I dove after Pikachu, who simply stepped out of the way, letting me land flat on the ground.

"I'm glad you and Pikachu are getting to spend some quality time together," Ash chuckled.

"This isn't funny! Pikachu is bugging me." I replied, lifting myself up off the ground.

"Come on, Pikachu, stop tormenting Dawn." Ash called.

"Pika..." Pikachu sighed, and jumped back up onto Ash's shoulder.

"Come on, Dawn, we had better get moving," Ash turned and began to walk away.

"Wait for me," I ran after him.

Ash and I walked on for some time, and the silence was beginning to become awkward. So... I decided to spark some coversation.

"What do you have planned for today, Ash?" I asked.

"Why do you ask?" Ash looked over at me casually.

"I dunno... I guess I'm a bit bored."

"Do I bore you?"

"No, no!" I waved my hands, "it's not that at all!"

"Then what is it?"

"We usually don't have to find something to do, something usually finds us."

"So... what's your point?" Ash looked back at me again.

"Um..." I blushed at Ash's glance

"Are you feeling alright?" How sweet! He was worried about me.

"Actually, I'm not feeling all that well..." perhaps not a complete lie... as I was feeling quite strange.

"Perhaps you could help me walk the rest of the way to the next camp sight," I suggested.

Ash blinked, "You sure about this?"

"Oh, yes... I'm not sure how long I can last," I sagged my shoulders, and let my head drop a little.

Pikachu wasn't buying into my dramatics. Her eyes narrowed. I felt certain that she could see right through me.

"Um..." Ash began to look very uncomfortable.

I decided to push things a bit further. I closed my eyes, and purposely swayed a bit from side to side, before falling forwards.

"DAWN!" Ash cried out.

Then... I felt Ash's hand touching my chest, holding me up. My eyes snapped open, and looked over at Ash, Pikachu's eyes were the size of teacups.

He... was actually touching me?!

Hold it... I wasn't ready for THAT sort of action yet.

"WAA!" Ash jumped back, letting me fall flat on my face, "I'm soo sorry, Dawn! I didn't mean to... I mean, I didn't realize..."

I lifted myself back up off the ground.

Ash was blushing bright red, waving his arms in the air.

"Come on, Dawn, you know I'm not like that," Ask pleaded.

"So, Ash... Did you like it?" I asked.

"Uh... Like what?" Ash pretended not to know what I was referring to.

"You know, how did it feel?"

"WHAT?" Ash yelled.

"I was just wondering..." I said casually.

"It was an accident, ok? Could we just forget the whole thing happened?" Ash groaned.

"Ok, if you want to..." I smiled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash mumbled, not expecting an answer.

I could hear Pikachu laughing her head off.

"It's ok, Ash... Let's just keep walking, ok?" I turned and began walking down the road, leaving Ash and Pikachu speechless.

I had completely forgotten about my pretend sickness, but Ash, of course, didn't notice. He simply shook his head, and walked after me.

Apparently, they expected me to make a big deal about it. It was just an accident... and yet, he didn't seem to be that grossed out...

He just seemed afraid of my reaction...

Hm...

Perhaps this would be easier than I thought.

I looked back at Ash, who seemed quite ashamed of himself. I felt sort of bad for him, since I was mostly responsible for what had happened. Well... At least I was making some progress.

Ambezua: Don't worry, the humor is on it's way. I just needed to lay the groundwork first... How do you think it is turning out so far? A bit too much? Not enough? I need your input! I need 5 more reviews (10 total) for me to continue. I will give you a bit of a sneak-peek for the next chapter... Team Rocket stops by for a bit of comic relief, and some pointed questions for Dawn! Yes, all this and more in the next chapter! See you soon. (I know... a bit of a shorter chapter, but, I have much more in store for the next one!)


	3. Three of Hearts

Ambezua: Ok, this is a note for those of you who have made comments concerning a certain Diary, particularly the warning. It is not SUPPOSED to be taken seriously... It was mostly meant as a joke, but also shows how well Dawn knows Ash. She knows that if you tell him NOT to do something, what's the one things he will try to do? Also, the more strongly the warning is worded, the more tempting it will be! Anyway, just thought I would throw that out there... I got the 10 needed reviews, so, I am happy! (big, anime-style smile) Oh, right... back to Dawn!

Chapter three: Three of Hearts...

Song: "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)"

I walked behind Ash, my eyes fastened on the object of my desire. Sure, it would have been nice to gaze upon his handsome face... But then I would run the risk of him noticing. How I had managed NOT to fall in love with him before seemed completely unbelievable to me. Sure, he had his flaws, but his pure heart, and noble bearing, he was the boy every girl dreamed about. Well... Mostly. The guys most girls dreamed about almost certainly requited their love. In my case, however, this was not true. I sighed, in a romantic sort of way, and continued following him much like a well-trained puppy.

'Wait a sec, Dawn,' I thought to myself, 'how far are you willing to go to win Ash's heart? You have already pretended to be sick, what's next? Pretend you have a deadly ailment that can only be cured by a kiss?.'

I began wondering if it had been such a good idea to let myself fall soo deeply in love with him...

"Hey, Dawn, you seem pretty quiet today," Ash turned his head to look at me, and I quickly turned my face away to hide my blush, as well as the fact that I had been staring at him.

"Uh... I'm fine." I replied, hoping that he wouldn't pry any further.

"Ok," Ash shrugged.

I let out a sigh of relief... That is, until I heard a familiar voice...

"Listen, is that a twerpish voice I hear?" a sinister, feminine voice called out. I looked around, wondering what Team Rocket had in store this time...

"It's shrieking to me loud and clear..." a slightly less sinister, male voice replied.

"On the wind!" Jessie flew out of a nearby tree, and landed in front of us.

"Past the stars!" James fell out of the sky, and landed by Jessie's side.

"In your ear!" Meowth leapt out from behind his two companions. How he managed to pop out of nowhere, I never found out.

"Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace." Jessie continued. Breakneck... Yeah, that sounded pretty good right now.

"Dashing hope, bringing fear in its place..." James added. Them? Fear? I feared Ash's rejection more than those two clowns...

"A rose by any other name is just as sweet." Jessie winked at us. I could never understand that line...

"When everything's worse, our work is complete" James grinned. The only thing that gets worse is your motto...

"Jessie!"

"James!"

As if we didn't already know their names the moment they showed their ugly mugs...

"And Meowth, now dat's a name!" For a meowth, I had to admit that it was a VERY unoriginal name.

"Putting the do-gooders in their place..." Jessie pointed towards us. What place is that, exactly?

"...we're Team Rocket..." James said casually, as if we didn't already know...

"...in your face!" all three shouted.

"Wobbuffet!" the blobby, blue pokemon saluted his fellow Rocket Team members, who I strongly suspected were about to be "blasted off" in a mere matter of seconds.

Ash, Pikachu, and I stood there for a moment, a bit irritated at Team Rocket's persistence.

"Get ready for trouble!" I growled.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, still hanging onto Ash's shoulder.

"Make it double!" Ash pointed toward Team Rocket

"WHAT?!" Jessie screamed, "stop mocking us!"

"Hey... Wait a sec, Jess... Isn't that the twerp's third girlfriend?" James blinked

"Ya... I dink James has got a point dere." Meowth rubbed his chin.

"What are you talking about?" Ash's eyes narrowed.

James held up three fingers, "Oh, you know... First there was that red-headed girl, that you obviously had feelings for... (he pushed down the first finger) Then there was that other girl, with brown hair, which I wasn't so sure about, but I will count her anyway... (he pushed down the second) And now here's a third one to add to your collection. (he pointed the last and final finger out toward me)"

"ME? THEM? You have got to be kidding me..." Ash shook his head, but I could see his blush. Even so, I couldn't help but feel a bit hurt at his denial.

"Wow, da girls really go for you," Meowth grinned.

"Enough of this meaningless banter... Hand over the Pikachu!" Jessie stepped forward.

"Make me," Ash crossed his arms, "but you had better think fast, because Pikachu is itching to blast you off again."

Jessie, James and Meowth recoiled a bit, as Pikachu's electric sacs began to flicker.

"You know what... Why be too hasty?" Jessie stepped back

"Indeed... After all, I just wanted to talk to you two for a bit," James pulled out a pair of glasses, and spoke in a tone that oddly reminded me of a marriage counselor, "tell me, when did you two first discover your feelings for each other?"

"Eww..." Ash scrunched up his face.

I opened my mouth to speak, but quickly snapped it shut when I realised how awkward it would be to confess right in front of Team Rocket.

"...Interesting..." James pulled out a notepad, and began to jot down notes, "so, how long have you two been going out?"

I blushed, but quickly covered my face so that Ash couldn't notice... not that I thought he would even if he could see my face.

"Ah, I see..." James continued writing notes, "so, Ash, what do you intend on getting out of this relationship?"

"That does it!" Ash fumed, "Pikachu, thunderbolt!"

"Pikachuuuuuu!" Pikachu sent Team Rocket flying.

"Wait! We didn't even get a chance to steal Pikachu." Jessie yelled, as she flew through the air, "why did you have to go and waste our chance like that, James?"

"I guess I will be seeing you two next week... same time, same place?" James called, "Oh, and please take some anger management classes, it will benefit your relationship greatly."

"I don't know wat gets inta ya sometimes, James..." Meowth groaned.

"We're blasting off again!" they all say in unison, as they vanish from sight.

"Well, that was annoying," Ash sighed, and began walking.

I looked back up into the sky for a moment... Was it true? Did Ash really love those other girls he had traveled with? Oh dear...

I quickly snapped back to reality, and ran after Ash.

"Um... did you mean what you said back there?" I asked sheepishly.

"Huh?" Ash looked back at me blankly.

Why did I even try... I should have known that Ash had one of those sort of minds that forget everything romantic within two minutes flat...

"Never mind, Ash..." I sighed.

"Pika..." Pikachu eyed me suspiciously.

Ash shrugged, and we continued on our way.

'So... what's your next move, Dawn?' I asked myself, not audibly of course! 'If you want things to get serious with Ash, you need to get moving!'

Sure, Ash was cute, but his implied denial of romantic interest in me was a serious turn-off... Pikachu's intense glare didn't help much either. Let's see...

"Do you think Team Rocket will ever give up on stealing Pikachu?" I asked, a bit awkwardly. It was getting harder and harder to act casual around Ash, especially considering that other than Pikachu, we were essentially all alone...

"Na... Their obsession over stealing Pikachu is one of only two things that keep Team Rocket going each day," Ash rolled his eyes.

"What's the second thing?" I asked, not genuinely interested in the answer.

"Jessie's temper," Ash grinned. Ash's lame attempt at a joke didn't impress me.

"Come on, Ash, you could think of a better line than that!" I gave him a gentle shove.

"You think I'm bad? Did you even listen to some of Brock's pick-up lines?"

"Oh, you mean like: 'Nurse Joy, your beauty is only overshadowed by your love and care for pokemon' or, 'Officer Jenny! You swore to uphold the law... but you have stolen my heart' " I spoke in a deep voice, attempting to mimic Brock.

"Hahaha, right... Or 'I'm sorry, miss, but I'm lost... I'm lost in your eyes, and I cannot find my way out.' " Ash, fell to one knee, trying to imitate Brock's "romantic stance."

"Yeah... Sometimes I wanted to go up to him and tell him, 'Brock, I think you dropped something... your dignity!' " I giggled.

We laughed, thankful that Brock was not present to take our abuse in person.

In fact... Brock had left our small group about a week ago. He had gone for a visit to his family, promising to return by the end of the month. Besides the fact that it gave us ample excuse to poke fun at his romantic failures, his absence also afforded me a measure of comfort in my quest to win Ash's heart. Although it may have been true that Ash was as observant as a psyduck with a blindfold wrapped around his head, Brock, on the other hand, was not. He would have seen what I was doing a mile ahead. I could only imagine the sorts of jokes he would be cracking at my expense right then, if he had been there.

I was glad that WE were the ones making the jokes, not Brock.

I smiled at Ash, who smiled back. Although he most likely meant it in a friendly way, I still felt my heart skip a beat. Oh great... My love for Ash was getting more intense by the day...

Ambezua: A bit of humor in there... At Jame's and Brock's expense. I thought I should add a reason for Brock's absence from this part of the story, so here it is! Tell me how YOU think this story is going? Don't worry... a LOT more fluff is in the future... and a LOT more humor! Just stay tuned. I want at least 15 reviews (total) to continue... so, keep them coming! Oh, and don't worry, that little comment by James does NOT mean that this is turning into a Pokeshipping FanFic... It is just James's opinion, after all! (as well as a bit of a joke at my own expense, given that I have written some AAML stories...)


	4. Four of Hearts

Chapter four: Four of Hearts...

Ambezua: Ok... this is the much-awaited humor-filled, Dawn heating-up chapter! From now on, Dawn is getting serious! (but, hopefully, the tone will remain humorous)

Song: "Is it you?"

Ash and I had been walking for quite some time... It seemed like hours, but, since I didn't bother to check the time, I couldn't be certain. It was then that I learned something new about Ash: when he gets tired, he begins cracking jokes.

"Hey, Dawn..." Ash said wearily

"Yeah, Ash?" I reply, trying to act casual as he almost caught me staring at him again.

"Did Brock ever tell you that joke..." Ash continued.

"Uh... No... Why?" I asked, a bit confused at Ash's behavior.

"Oh, ok... Then you will like it," Ash grinned, "It's about these two guys... and they are at a sand witch shop, picking up two mushroom sandwiches."

Ash jumped to the right side of the road, "the first guy said, 'wow... these sandwiches are really warm!' "

Ash jumped over to the left side of the road, "the second guy replied, 'I think it's cus they just made them...' "

Ash jumped from side to side, as if he were taking the place of each of the two men alternately.

"Actually... I think it's because of the mushrooms."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, haven't you heard? Mushrooms, like, spontaneously combust... They cause forest fires all the time."

"I thought forest fires were caused by people leaving out dry wood..."

"YEAH, NEXT TO A MUSHROOM!"

Pikachu sweatdropped, while I was doubled over in laughter.

"You know, Ash, if you were this funny all the time, I would have fallen for you a LONG time ago..." I realised my slip a little too late...

"Huh?" Ash blinked.

I quickly grabbed his hat, and put it on.

"Hey! That's mine!" Ash yelled, completely forgetting my slip-up.

I twisted his cap's bill from in front of me, to my back (just like he always did before battle).

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" I held out my hand toward Ash, giggling.

Ash stood there for a moment.

"Oh, I get it!" Ash laughed, "but, can I have my hat back?"

"Oh, sure..." I took it off and handed it back. Somehow, I thought his joke was better..

"Thanks..." Ash replied.

"Hey, Ash! Look, it's a pokemon center... I wonder if they have rooms available?" I decided to change the subject, pointing towards the pokemon center in the distance.

"Oh... Ok," Ash mumbled.

When we arrived, Nurse Joy informed us that there was only one more room available... and it had only one bed.

"Oh, great..." Ash sighed, "I guess we will take it anyway,"

Ash took the key card, and shuffled off to find the room. I followed, trying to hide my pure joy at my good fortune.

Ash and I looked around the room... It not only had only one bed... It was also a very small room.

Ash held out his hands toward the bed.

"Take it, I don't think it would be proper for us to share it..."

"Oh, that's really isn't necessary... We are almost like family, after all." I smiled, perhaps a BIT too much...

"Na, It's ok... Pikahcu and I will sleep on the floor."

"Ash, I-" I stopped... My body was screaming out at me to insist that he sleep by my side. But my mind was telling me that such an attempt would be unforgivable. I finally decided that it was better not to push things, "Ok..."

"Good," ash smiled, pulled out his sleeping bag, and crawled in, without even changing his clothes.

Pikachu sighed, and curled up beside him. Within seconds, the both of them were sleeping soundly.

"wow... they must have been REALLY tired..." I sighed.

I laid down my things on the floor, and pulled out my dairy. I once again briefly considered the message on the front cover, then flipped to the first blank page.

"Dear diary,

Every day, I learn something new about Ash... Today, I learned that he actually DOES have a sense of humor... It was so good, I accidentally told him about my feelings for him. Sadly, I think he was either too dense, or too tired to even notice. I hope this isn't just a waste of time... If he doesn't fall for me, I don't know what I will do with myself. I would hate to think that I mean nothing to him... Anyway, Team Rocket showed up a while ago, and caused us more trouble. It's not like they are an actual threat, but they can be VERY annoying. James seemed to think of Ash and I as a couple, which I guess I should take as a good sign. But, he also mentioned Ash's two other traveling companions as possible girlfriends! This is SO confusing... I just hope he hasn't already given his heart away."

I slam the diary shut, but quickly look over to see if I had awoken Ash.

He showed no movement whatsoever...

I slowly crept over to the side of his sleeping bag, and placed my dairy next to it, as if I had accidentally dropped it there.

Then, I felt a strong urge to let my feelings know to him, even if he was still asleep.

I hummed quietly for a moment, then began to sing softly to my sleeping love.

Song: "I don't wanna fall to pieces"

"I'm in love with you..." I finish, brushing the hair back from his face, before planting a kiss on his forehead.

As I did so, Pikachu lifted her head up, her black, beady eyes locked onto my face.

"Pikachu!" she snapped at me, her electric sacs beginning to spark.

"Hey, cool it! I wasn't going to hurt him." I replied a but taken back at her sudden aggressiveness.

Pikachu sat down on her hind legs, and crossed her arms. Her eyes still remained focused on me, though.

"Look, Pikachu, I can't help how I feel, alright? I guess you already know that I am in love with him... But, what's your problem?" I asked quietly.

Pikachu shook her head slowly, the raised up her right paw

"Pikapi..."

Then, she raised up her left paw.

"Pikachu-Pi..."

I gave Pikachu a confused look, "Come on, Pikachu... Tell me in some way that I can understand."

Pikachu huffed, and began cattering, "Pikapi pi pikachu chu chu, pika! Pikachu-Pi, pi pi ch pikachu chu pika!"

"Keep it down, Pikachu, Ash might wake up," I honestly didn't think Ash would wake up, but I didn't like the way Pikachu was tlaking to me, even if I couldn't understand a word she said.

Pikachu slapped herself in the head, and pointed at Ash, "Pikapi!"

"Oh... ok... so this has something to do with Ash?"

"Pika..." Pikachu rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"Then... what was that other thing that you mentioned?"

"Pikachu-Pi," Pikachu repeated.

"Yeah, what's that?"

Pikachu hopped over to Ash's back back, and pulled out the little bait he had showed me once.

"Pikachu-Pi," Pikachu held up the bait.

"Wait a sec... Didn't Ash say that he got that from his friend... Misty?"

"Pika, Pikachu-Pi!" Pikachu nodded.

"You don't mean..." My eyes widened, "No... it can't be! Your not saying that Ash is already in love with someone, are you?"

Pikachu shook her head.

"Oh... good... but... that means..."

Piachu nodded.

"Oh shoot!" I threw myself onto my bed, and pulled the covers over my head, "then, you must mean that Misty is in love with Ash..."

"Pika," Pikachu curled back up next to Ash, and fell back sleep.

"That's just great... Now what am I supposed to do..." I sighed, "I know... I will win him over before they meet again!"

Perhaps this was just what I needed to force myself into some serious action...

I closed my eyes, hoping that there was still enough time to win this game of hears

Ambezua: Oh, yeah... Now the heat is on for Dawn! She had better hurry... cus two of my favorite characters are on their way to pay Ash an unexpected visit! Please R&R!


	5. Five of Hearts

Chapter five: Five of Hearts...

Ambezua: Ok, NEXT chapter, one of the two new characters will show up. I know, I know, you are all disappointed that Misty hasn't showed up yet... All in good time, my Friends! Ok, for now, just enjoy a few bad puns, and some situation humor. (As well as some Dawn flirting!)

Song: "A Never Ending Dream"

My eyes slowly creaked open... I yawned, and sat up in my bed, pushing the covers off of myself. I looked around the room, which appeared to be colored a vibrant yellow, with green detail-work.

'Odd sence of style...' I thought to myself, 'ah well, I suppose it is just a typical pokemon center, not the Ritz...'

Looking down at myself, I realised that I had forgotten to change into my pajamas. Wow... Had I really been that tired?

I pushed myself off the bed, and put on my boots (which I had actually remembered to take off in the first place) forgetting that Ash was sleeping on the floor, and staggered into the bathroom.

"Why are mornings always my least favorite part of the day..." I groaned.

I tool one look into the mirror, then jumped back.

I had the WORST case of pillow head I had ever seen before in my life! I rushed over to my backpack, and pulled out my comb. After a few minutes of useless combing, I threw the comb across the room, and slumped down into a corner. Great... First I don't get much sleep, then I find out I have a truly abysmal pillow head... And I still have to snag Ash for myself while I still can... Before Misty gets her grimy little hands on him.

"This can NOT be happening to me..." I grumbled, then I noticed Ash sleeping on the floor.

"Come back... Wait..." Ash mumbled, as he was apparently having a nightmare, as his voice was full of fervor and desire.

"This is my chance!" I said rather loudly, "But, why isn't Pikachu here?"

I looked around the room, but the little yellow pokemon was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, then, why not make the most of it?" I rubbed my hands together evilly.

I stood up, walked over to Ash's sleeping bag, and slipped myself in, cuddling up next to Ash, and wrapping my arms around him.

"It's ok, Ash... I'm right here..." I said soothingly.

Ash smiled, and his breathing became more calm and deep. His body shifted into a more relaxed position.

I rested my head on his chest, letting myself enjoy his scent and warm touch. Yeah, he had sort of a musty smell, but I enjoyed every bit of it. It was "Ash scent" and I loved it.

I smiled, and cuddled in closer to him, wrapping my legs around him, and pulling him tighter.

Ash mumbled something I couldn't understand, then wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly as well. I began to feel warm and fuzzy inside... His strong grip around me made me feel safe, secure... and a bit sleepy. The warm, comfortable glow lulled me back to a sleepy state, so sleepy that I nearly forgot that my hair was still in a terrible state. For now, at least, all I cared about was Ash.. My Ash!

I sighed, and whispered in his ear, "I love you."

Ash smiled in his sleep, but his eyes remained closed. I lifted up my head and brought it closer and closer to his sleeping face... My lips were mere inches away from his... centimeters...

'Ok, Dawn... now is your chance! Wait... I want our first kiss to be when he's fully awake...' I thought to myself.

Then, Ash's eyes snapped open.

"DAWN!" Ash released his hold on me, and began squirming in his sleeping bag. But, since the bag was actually designed for only one person, and there were currently two people in the bag, Ash didn't have much room to move.

"Uh... What's going on?" Ash stopped struggling and looked up at me, confused.

"Ash," I smiled and laid my had back down on his chest, "I'm right here for you... You were having a nightmare, so, I came over to comfort you."

"But... Dawn... Uh..." Ash tried to push himself out from under me, but I held fast.

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?" I looked up into his eyes... his beautiful dark, eyes... His eyes filled with... Terror?

Just then, there was a scratch at the door... A key card was inserted at the other side of the door, and the knob slowly turned. Pikachu jumped through the door.

"Pikapi, pikachu, pika, pi pi pi!" she said happily. But then... then she saw us...

"Oh no..." my eyes opened wide, in anticipation of the little electric mouse's punishment.

"Pika-chuuuuuu!" Pikachu, without a second thought, zapped us both with a powerful thunderbolt. The attack not only blasted me right across the room, but it also reduced the sleeping bag to a fine powder.

"What was that for, Pikachu?" Ash jumped up off the floor, his face blackened, and his fist raised up into the air in fury.

"Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu smiled, and ran out the still-opened door.

Ash's anger vanished into thin air.

"Did you just say... Breakfast? Ok! I'll be right after you!" Ash dashed after Pikachu, without giving me a second look.

I sighed, and walked back to the bathroom. Great... Not only was my hair still a horrible mess, now my face was all dirty too...

I filled the sink with water, and began slashing myself in the face. Then, I reached for the soap...

About half an hour later, I deemed my appearance acceptable, and I walked out of the room in search of Ash. I found him just teh way I expected... With a large tray of food, which I strongly suspected was at least his third serving.

I skipped over to his table and sat down. Pikachu popped up onto the table, and glared at me. I decided to ignore her.

"Good morning, Dawn," Ash said, with his mouth full.

"Good morning..." I sighed, hoping that he hadn't already forgotten our tender little moment.

"So..." Ash began to ask me a bunch of casual, almost meaningless questions. Typical Ash... I let my mind wander, staring into his eyes... I subconsciously answered his questions with a random "yes" or "no."

"Dawn?" Ash waved his hand in front of my face.

"Huh? What?" I blinked, still not fully aware of what I was saying.

"Dawn, I asked you what your favorite color is, and you replied, 'yeah.' What is that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah, I like you..." I replied, in a matter-of-fact sort of way.

"Uh... Pikachu... Is that a color?" Ash turned to Pikachu, who slapped herself in the forehead, and fell off the table.

"Oh, sorry!" I finnaly snapped out of my trance, "What did you say?"

Ash sighed, and picked up his tray, "Never mind..."

"Hey, Ash, wait! I need to ask you something!" I stood up and ran after Ash.

I really, REALLY, hoped that this would work...

"Ash, please, I was wondering... How would you like to go to the carnival with me? There's one in the town close to here..." I let my eyes fillw ith fake tears, in an attempt to melt his heart.

"Oh, alright..." Ash rolled his eyes, "if it will make you stop bugging me about it,"

"YES!" twirled around with joy (no pun intended).

I had just managed to ask Ash out on a date... and he was too dense to even notice! Your all mine now, Ash Ketchum... Right after I plant a kiss on you, that is...

Ambezua: I know... sort of a short chapter. But, it still had a place. I didn't want to group this up with the carnival one, since that would be a bit TOO much in one chapter... anyway... Please tell me how you like it so far. Do you want to see more details? More diary entries? More Pikachu? (sorry, just had to throw that one in there) REVIEWS, PLEASE.


	6. Six of Hearts

Chapter six: Six of Hearts...

Ambezua: Yep, Ash is still the dense, close to oblivious, person that he always is... If you don't believe me, find the episode "Love, Pokemon Style." One of his opponents gets a crush on Ash, but Ash doesn't respond at all. He's completely oblivious to the affection the little girl shows him. Of course, Misty gets upset over it... but that's another story! Yes, for those of you wondering when Ash is going to GET A CLUE, this is the chapter you have been waiting for... So, let the fun begin!

Song: "Bleeding Love"

I could hardly contain my enthusiasm. Yes, Ash probably just thought we were going as friends... In fact, I was almost certain that was all he thought it was. But, that didn't matter much to me. A date was a date, even if Ash was oblivious to the fact that it was a date. If reality revolved around Ash's ability to put two and two together, this world would be filled with threes...

I grabbed Ash's hand, and pulled him.

"Come on, Ash! We don't want to miss out on ANY of the fun," I smiled at him.

Ash blinked, but submitted to my demands. He's so nice like that... But there's still his almost unbelievable denseness to deal with... Oh, well, I'm sure we can work through it when we get married...

I led, perhaps more like dragged, Ash down the street, and towards the carnival's front gate. Ash pulled his arm out of my grasp, and began to observe the several large pokemon statues that lined either side of the entrance. That Ash... he ALWAYS has pokemon on his mind... He thought about pokemon as much as an Kadabra was intelligent, dreamed about pokemon as much as a Snorlax sleeps, and most likely hate as much as a Snorlax as well! I left Ash's side walked up to the empty ticket booth, ranging the bell on the counter.

A short, old man popped up out of no where. He had a VERY long, white beard, thin arms, a thick moustache, and a rather large bald spot on the front of his head. He had a cheery sort of demeanor about him, which reminded me of a child. Apparently, he had worked at the carnival for quite some time, and all the concentrated "happiness" had deluded his mind.

"Good morning, young lady," the old man smiled, "what can I do for your today?"

"I would like two entry tickets, please," I pulled out my purse, "and a medium ticket package, for rides."

"Oh, of course, my dear, just a second," The old man disappeared for a moment, then was back in a flash. He held out two golden tickets, and twenty-four small, blue tickets, "Now, you and your boyfriend enjoy the park, ok?"

"Um... how much do I owe you?" I asked, a bit puzzled.

"Oh, nothing at all!" the old man waved my protests aside, "this is Couple's Day, at the carnival, we give out free entry tickets and ride tickets the whole day. The food isn't free, but that's the only thing that isn't"

The old man smiled even wider, which I didn't think was physically possible.

"Alright..." i sighed, and took the tickets.

"Thank you, now, enjoy the park, you two!" the old man disappeared once again.

"That was strange..." Ash walked up, apparently no longer interested in the Pokemon statues, "he thought we were a couple? Can you beleive that?"

I shot Ash a cold look, but he didn't seem to notice.

Ash shook his head, and took his ticket, "come on, Dawn, I thought you said you didn't want to miss out on any of the fun..."

I growled something unintelligible under my breath, and reluctantly accepted his stab at me.

Ash handed his ticket to the man at the gate, who tore the ticket in half, and handed him the stub.

"Enjoy the park," the significantly younger man said lifelessly, while letting Ash into the park.

I handed him my ticket as well, and received identical service.

"Why are people who work at carnivals almost always a bit strange..." I walked up to Ash, who had become distracted by a Pikachu topiary.

"Dunno," Ash said causally, as if he wasn't even listening to me. At first, I got irritated, then, I thought of a perfect way to get his attention. Something that even Ash couldn't ignore...

I leapt towards Ash, intending to kock him off balance and kiss him.

"Pikachu!" the little electric mouse jumped out from the topiary, and onto the ground in front of Ash

Ash bent over to pick up Pikachu, just as I dove over him... and my head smacked right into the lamp-post behind him.

"Hey, little buddy... what are you doing here?" Ash asked, as he lifted Pikachu into the air.

Pikachu pointed at me and laughed, as I staggered backwards from my recent impact with solid steel.

I held my head in my hands, hoping that it would help stop the awful ringing in my head.

"Hey, Dawn, are you ok?" Ask asked, finally acknowledging my existence.

"I just kissed a lamp-post Ash Ketchum! Do I look fine to you?" I wanted to scream that out at him, but I decided to say something a bit more mild instead.

"...yeah...just give me a second..." I moaned.

"Great, cus I wanted to get on the Seviper ride," Ash pointed toward a large roller-coaster, which, among other things, had two large loops, a spiral, and a meduim-sized drop.

"Looks like fun," I gave Pikachu a glare, then turned to Ash and gave him a sweet smile, "let's get on!"

Pikachu stuck her tongue out at me, and hopped over to the ride entrance.

"Pika, Pikachu!' she said, pointing at the height requirements.

"Sorry, Pikachu, but they won't let you on..." Ash said sadly, "you will have to wait here for us."

Pikachu looked a bit hurt, but obeyed Ash. She took a seat on the ground next to the entrance of the ride.

"Good morning, youngsters, would you like to take a ride on the wild, dangerous, and deadly Seviper? She's as fast and furious as they come!" a little old man, who bore an uncomfortable likeness to the old man at the ticket booth, stood before us.

"Of course," Ash smiled.

"Is all that true about the Seviper?" I asked, a bit intimidated.

"Well... Most of it... ok, some of it... well, just the part about it being fast..." the old man smiled back.

"Whatever... Here," I handed him two of our ride tickets, "Wait a sec... Aren't you the same guy who gave us our tickets at the front gate?"

"Oh no," the old man laughed, "that's my brother... we don't look that much alike, but lots of people make that mistake."

Ash nodded, and took a seat at the front of the roller coaster. I took a seat next to him, noting that there were already three people in the roller coaster.

"So, Dearie, how are you enjoying the park so far?" the woman asked her husband.

"Not sure... let's see how good this coaster is," the man replied.

"Ya... if it don't live up to it's name, I say we beat it outta this joint," their child spoke up.

Somehow... I thought I recongnised thier voices.

Before I could think any more about it, however, the ride started up. We climbed higher, and higher, and higher... All the other people in the carnival looked like little pikachu's from up at the top.

"Oh dear... this is higher than I thought..." the man said nervously.

"Shut it, James!" the heard the woman smack the man with something.

"Yeah... don't you think I'm scared enough already?!" their child wailed.

Ash, however, simply ignored them.

"Uh, Ash... I'm sort of scared," I laid my head down on his shoulder.

Just then, the coaster had come to the top, and we began our decent...

"AHHHH!" all three of the people behind us screamed.

"OH yeah!" Ash lifted up his hands as we went through the first loop, "this is awesome!"

Even I had to admit, it was a pretty nice ride.

After we got off, and the three people behind us staggered off to find something else to do, we went over to the Poliwhirl (a "tea-cups" type ride), then the Tentacruel (a swing type ride), and finally the Noctowl (a drop ride). At each ride, Pikachu discovered, to her horror, that she was unable to ride. I had never had so much fun before in my life! The best thing about it was that I shared it with Ash...

We stopped by the food court, and Pikachu was still sulking about being left out of all the rides.

"Hey, Ash, I will buy our lunch, what would you like?" I offered.

"The usual... A triple hamburger with double cheese and an extra-large soda," Ash grinned.

"I... don't think that they are selling that here..." I glanced over at the menu.

"Ok, in that case, just get me a hamburger," Ash said casually

"Fine," I walked up to the booth.

"Hello!" another old man popped out, "what would you like today?"

"Hey, aren't you the same guy-" I began

"No, no no!" the old man rolled his eyes, "those two are my uncles, can't you see that I'm much younger than them?"

"Whatever..." I sighed, "I jsut need a hamburger, with everything on it, and a supersalad."

"here you go," the old man handed me my change, as well as the tray of food and a large bottle of ketchup.

"What's the ketchup for?" I asked, referring to the ketchup

"That little pokemon looks like it could use some cheering up," the old man winked and was gone in a flash.

I took the food back to Ash, who thanked me and began digging into his hamburger.

I sat down next to him, and began to eat my salad as well, placing the bottle of ketchup in front of Pikachu.

"Pika?" she said, a bit confused at my kindness.

"Go ahead," I smiled back at her.

Without a word, Pikachu began pouring the entire contents of the bottle into her mouth.

"Sort of reminds me of Ash..." I thought

"Hey," Ash pointed toward a young man on the other side of the food court, who was currently flirting with one of the young women, "look over there."

Ash, by this time, had long since finished his meal.

I looked over, and saw the man he pointed out, "Uh huh... sort of reminds me of Brock"

The man's Croagunk popped out of it's pokeball, and gave him a poison jab, causing his trainer to double-up in pain then fall over.

"That's gotta be Brock..." Ask stood up and ran over to Brock.

"Hey, Brock, how's it going?" Ash asked.

"How does it look like I'm doing..." Brock groaned.

"Oh... sorry..." Ash said sheepishly, and helped him back up.

I walked over and said hello as well.

"Hey Brock, hey Croagunk," I said happily.

"How's it going with you two?" Brock asked, as soon as he was able to stand again.

"Pretty good... Dawn talked me into coming here with her, but, honestly, the day has been a blast!" Ash said excitedly.

"That's good... I jsut got back from my visit with my family, and I thought I might find you two here," Brock explained.

"Well, you guessed right," I beamed.

"There is one more thing, though..." Brock said in a more serious tone.

"Yeah?" Ash said, his curiousity getting the better of him.

"I broght Misty back with me!" Brock said happily.

"WHAT?!" I screamed.

Ash looked over at me, puzzled.

"What's up with her?" Brock asked.

Ambeza: LOL, I loved that chapter... Tell me how much you did! Please R&R! Next chapter: Dawn tries to finish the job before they run into Misty... But with Pikachu on Misty's side, can she accomplish her goal?


	7. Seven of Hearts

Ambezua: Ok, this is FINALLY the chapter you have all been waiting for... I hope I can live up to your standards! Here goes... Dawn professes her love to Ash... but how will he, Misty, and Pikachu respond?

A cold chill ran up and down my spine...

Misty...

The one person who could ever take Ash away from me...

"Uh... Dawn?" Ash stepped closer to me, "are you ok? You have been acting REALLY strange lately..."

"Like what?" Brock asked, a bit curious.

"Well, for one thing... she jumped into my sleeping bag with me this morning," Ash said casually.

"She did... WHAT?" Brock shouted, which snapped me out of my trance, "Ash, please don't tell me that your THAT dense..."

"Think again, Brocko..." I thought, "this is ASH we are talking about..."

Thinking quickly, I grabbed Ash's hand.

"Just a sec, Dawn... Brock, where is Misty?" Ash seemed quite eager to meet up with her.

"Uh... Last time I saw her, she was in a fight with the man who operated the Mallet game... Apparently, the man thought Misty had cheated," Brock chuckled.

"Come on... I have something I need to tell you," I pulled him behind me, leaving Croagunk, Brock, and his bewildered face behind us.

I could faintly hear Brock's voice in the distance...

"How come ASH gets all the girls?" he wailed, "he never even uses pick-up lines!"

I managed to make our way through the crowds, and found just what I was looking for: an small, empty dressing room for the carnival staff.

I opened the door, shoved Ash inside, and took a quick look around before entering the small room myself.

I flipped on the switch and faced Ash. His face betrayed his realization of why I had brought him here.

"I guess there isn't much to say, right Ash?" I said quietly.

"um... what do you mean, Dawn?" Ash said blankly, trying to delay the inevitable.

"You know what I mean, Ash..." I stepped closer, placing my hands on his shoulders, "I like you, Ash..."

"Ya, Dawn, I like you too," Ash said quickly.

"You do?" I asked, taking one step closer.

"Ya... Your one of my closest friends," Ash began to look uncomfortable, most likely due to the rapidly decreasing distance between our bodies.

"I don't want to be just friends," I said, almost a whisper, "I love you, Ash..."

Ash stepped back, but the wall of the room held him in place.

I closed my eyes, and wrapped my arms around his head...

Ash swallowed, as I pressed my body against his... I could feel his heart beating, and I hoped he could feel mine too.

I pressed my lips to his, pushing my body hard against his in order to keep him from slipping away.

For a moment, he tried to push me away, but he soon relaxed.

I held the kiss, a heavenly feeling, for about ten seconds before...

"Pika-chuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu's thunderbolt obliterated the entire dressing room, leaving Ash and I completely exposed, in an intimate embrace.

I opened my eyes, and looked over at Pikachu, who glared back at me crossly. I let go of Ash, who quickly stepped back from me.

as soon as I looked up, and to the right of Pikachu, I understood why Ash had done so...

There stood Misty, with a look of jealousy mixed with rage. her face was completely red, and her eyes had death and distruction in them. In her hand, she held my diary... Which I could only speculate as to how she came to obtain.

"Uh... Hi Misty, it's been a long time!" Ash walked up to Misty with a smile.

Misty quickly recovered her composure.

"Oh, hi Ash..." She said casually

I let out a sigh of relief... perhaps I would live to see another day.

"What were you and that girl doing in there?" Misty poked Ash.

"Uh... well..." Ash stammered, "her name is Dawn..."

"Oh... Well, nice to meet, you," Misty held out her right hand and took mine.

I looked back at Misty, confused. She was certainly not the Misty I thought she was...

"Well, Ash, I would LOVE to stay here and catch up with you... But Dawn and I have a few things to talk about, ok?" Misty said sweetly, but I could sense the evil intentioned in her words.

"Sure," Ash said casually. Ash... SAVE ME!

Misty pulled me away from Ash and Pikachu, and stopped when we were well out of earshot.

"So..." I said nervously.

"Ok, first of all, Ash is MINE, you got that?!" Misty yelled into my ear.

"y-"

"I'm not finished yet, blue-hair!" Misty cut me off, "Although it's none of my business to tell Ash who he may and may not have as a friend, if I so much as find you two alone again, you will have an appointment with my mallet!... If I see you kissing him again, I will make you WISH I killed you... Understand?"

"yes..." I whimpered.

"Good!" Misty smiled, "I'm glad we worked this all out... Now, let's go find Ash, ok?"

"Ok..." I moaned, as Misty took my arm in her iron grip once again, and pulled me back to where we had left Ash.

I couldn't believe it... The girl was totally crazy over MY Ash. She would stop at NOTHING to keep us apart. How was I supposed to combat her? Ash woudn't defend me from her, heck, he couldn't even defend himself from her... Despair began to take over me... A dark blanket of hopelessness shrouded me for the rest of the day. I could tell that Ash could sense my feelings, but made no effort to help me out of my misery.

At the end of the day, Brock and Misty escorted us out of the carnival... I can't remember much of what we talked about as we make our way back to the Pokemon Center... It was something about a Jigglypuff that Ash, Misty, and Brock had encountered on numerous occasions during their travels together.

I threw myself down on my bed at the pokemon center, and let wept my heart out. I love Ash, but I couldn't have him. He knew how I felt about him, but I didn't even know for certain if he loved me back. I felt as if I would never know... As long as Misty stood between us, that is. After a few hours, I felt completely exhausted. I rolled back off the bed, and onto the hard floor. I reached out, and pulled out my empty diary, the one which I had bought beforehand in case my old one ran out of pages. I turned on a light, and pulled out a pen, and began to write... I wrote about everything that had happened to me, from the day that I first fell in love with Ash, till that very night. For it's title, I wrote: "A Game of Hearts," in large, golden letters. With a sigh, I kissed the last page, and closed the book. I placed it under my pillow... and I drifted off to sleep.

The next day, I woke up early, and snuck over to Ash and Brock's room. (Misty had changed the sleeping arrangements).

Thankfully, Ash had forgotten to lock the door.

I turned the knob, and creaked the door open... I slipped my book into Ash's hands while he slept, and stepped back out of the room.

I quietly made my way back to my room, and made a silent prayer that I would go undetected by Misty...

Yes... This is where I am now... I am sitting on my bed, hoping against hope that fate will deal kindly with me...

Ends with Songs: "What Hurts the Most" (Cascada), then "Miracle" (Cascada)

The End

Ambezua: I know... sort of a sad ending... If you want the story to continue, please give me comments, telling Dawn ways she can try to win Ash's heart, without getting a homicidal Misty after her! But, if you like bitter-sweet endings, why change perfection?


End file.
